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Loading ...Lawsuit: Anti-gay bullying led to son’s death
04.02.2009 4:23pm EDT
(Mentor, Ohio) The parents of an Ohio High School student say their son would be alive today if the school had prevented bullies from tormenting him.
In a federal lawsuit the parents of Eric Mohat allege that he regularly was called ‘gay,’ ‘fag,’ ‘queer’ and ‘homo’ among other names and that the school did nothing to prevent it.“This harassment and bullying took the form of constant name-calling, teasing and verbal intimidation in one particular class and constant pushing, shoving and hitting both in class and in hallways of the high school,” court papers say.
The lawsuit names the school district, administrators Jacqueline A. Hoynes and Joseph Spiccia, and math teacher Thomas M. Horvath. All have declined comment in the case.
Mohat, 17 at the time, went home from school on March 27, 2007, put a gun to his head and pulled the trigger.
“On the day Eric committed suicide, one of the students who had been harassing him said to Eric, in front of other students and, by information and belief, in front of defendant Horvath, ‘Why don’t you go home and shoot yourself? No one would miss you,’” the lawsuit said.
“The defendants knew or should have known about this constant harassment,” the lawsuit claims. “Defendant Horvath knew about the harassment because most of the verbal harassment and some of the physical harassment took place in his classroom during a math class that he taught and because Eric complained to him about the harassment.”
“When you lose a child like this it destroys you in ways you can’t even describe,” Eric Mohat’s father, Willaim Mohat, told ABC News.
The lawsuit does not seek punitive damages. Instead it wants the school district to recognize the suicide as the result of homophobia and for the district to implement an anti-bullying program to prevent other similar tragedies.
The Mohats claim that three other students at the school committed suicide in 2007.
A study by GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, found that 47 percent of junior/middle high school students identified bullying, name-calling or harassment as somewhat serious or very serious problems at their school.
Additionally, 69 percent of junior/middle high school students reported being assaulted or harassed in the previous year and only 41 percent said they felt very safe at school.
I think the plaintiffs should reconsider their decision not to ask for punitive damages. The only thing that bastards who would permit this kind of bullying will understand is money.
The Blame should be on the School,all the Bully’s parents (they learned it somewhere) and RELIGION! Tragic story!
Isn’t it strange that stories like this one NEVER reach the likes of: American Family Association, Focus on the Family, Peter LaBarbera, Americans for truth about Homosexuality, and of course, RJLigier!!!
This is incredibly heartbreaking. It reminds me of the scene in that Lifetime movie PRAYERS FOR BOBBY (good movie, maybe a little cheesy) where the mother (previously anti-gay) of Bobby (gay teen who kills himself) addresses her City Council which is about to enact an anti-gay ordinance.
After a heart-wrenching speech she concludes through tears that “Bobby’s death was the result of his parents’ ignorance.” This is a similar situation. Someone has died because of other people’s ignorance, and that is truly maddening.
This is why tollerance needs to be taught and enforced in school. Of coarse the aforementioned groups would say that we are trying to turn their little heathens gay instead of just trying to prevent tragedy like this family has had. The math teacher especailly should be made to account for what happened.
Tom in Long Beach, Harrassed at High School, But stay closeted until 22, At least I had a few friends.
This is incredibly tragic. It further illustrates the need for strong anti-bullying laws and the need for teachers to be required to stand up against these things. The culture needs to change.
Schools need to do more about bullying, period. It’s especially bad for gays, but it’s equally bad for anyone who is considered “different.” Enough is enough; no more excuses.
At the very least, the parents deserve damages from the state (even if they aren’t asking for them), and we need EDUCATION. Being a humane person means exercising tolerance, and that needs to start in school. Acceptance may be too much to ask, but tolerance is the hallmark of a modern, pluralistic society, and it needs to start in schools.
Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood
Clean from my hand? No; this my hand will rather
The multitudinous seas incarnadine,
The lawsuit names the school district, administrators Jacqueline A. Hoynes and Joseph Spiccia, and math teacher Thomas M. Horvath. All have declined comment in the case.
Perhaps these so-called “educators” should stop and think about their guilt in the death of this child as did Macbeth consider his guilt in the death of Duncan. From now, until the day they die, they shall never be able to wash the “blood” of this child from their hands. Such poor examples of “educators” should be disbarred and never allowed to influence the education of another child. Parents having children under their influence should “riot” in the streets until they are no longer allowed to “poison” the minds of children in their town.
These supposed educators should read the Code of Ethics for Ohio Educators and if they have violated any of it provisions, should tender their resignations and surrender their credentials immediately if they are in violation of this code.
The code requires the at least the following:
An educator’s responsibility includes nurturing the intellectual, physical, emotional, social, and civic potential of all students and providing a safe environment free from harassment, intimidation and criminal activity.
I don’t think they have followed that requirement.
The code also requires that they not violate the following:
Conduct unbecoming includes, but is not limited to,
Failing to provide appropriate supervision of students, within the scope of the educator’s official capacity, which risks the health, safety, and welfare of students or others in the school community.
Sounds like they may have been not doing their duty based upon this part of the code.
I hope that these parents and their lawyers tie this district into knots and demand the “heads” of these “false prophets of education”.
I think they should all be held accountable something needs to be done about this sort of thing for sure and it has been going on far to long all of our kids should have the right to go to school or any where else and feel safe and feel good about themself.
GO FOR THE MONEY! This snotty and wealthy suburb of Cleveland is full of pretentious and arrogant shits teaching their kids to be just like them! Setting a better standard and holding feet to the fire is a nice start, but a monstereous and obscene punitive damages award would make a point that these a**holes would understand and remember. This math teacher and the student that said he should go home and shoot himself….should be strung up in public and flogged!….what an outrage!
Disgusted American,
and RELIGION! My faith has kept me going and comforted me at the times when I didn’t want to continue on, and when I was discouraged and so I take issue with that idea!
But a huge lawsuit would be very appropriate in this case.
This is so tragic….the loss of a young man who might have become a scientist who discovered a cure for some terrible illness, a brillian doctor, a peace promoting diplomat—the possibilities are endless. All of this lost to the world because of the stupidity of so called “educators.” His blood is on their hands, the bullies, and their parents who taught them bigotry—that is not a characteristic with which you are born. There should be a huge cash penalty attached to this suit. Further, how about some criminal charges against all of those involved? After all, this is a murder—this man murdered himself—so how about some criminal charges against those involved as accomplices? This type of thing is going to continue until WE GET TOUGH ON THESE BIGOTED “EDUCATORS” and the school boards that allow it!
Mentor’s not rich. It’s wannabees. Either they think they’re too good to live in the nasty city (well, Cleveland is pretty grotty–but I can say that ’cause I live here!
), or they’re badass gangstas (better known as wiggers).
It’ll be interesting to see if there is corroborating evidence that this really did unfold as described. If the math teacher really did have this going on in his class, and he witnessed the last event, then I’m at least emotionally inclined to think that he should be charged as something like accessory to voluntary manslaughter. He should lose his teaching license, because no kid needs a teacher that detached.
I think Mentor High is the biggest (3200) in Ohio, and teachers have resources to help students. Horvath couldn’t even pass this off to a guidance counselor? Compare this to Cleveland schools, where one high school had a French class with 67 students.
It wasn’t that bad for me, but I sure as hell remember that stuff too. Having to get an unlisted number–and then you realize that, when the calls start again, one of your “friends” isn’t. Being hassled. Not being world-wise enough to know that the other kids are acting this stuff out, that it may be that they’re not evil, but adults (faculty) run for the hills rather than address it. Then, if they do intervene, it doesn’t mean anything will change, and you get all the static with the parents who feel johnny Jocko is being maligned by the little fag–uh, malcontent–who isn’t as popular. I know plenty of you have seen this stuff and worse. Some of us come through it, and I’m left to wonder what left this poor kid feeling so alone. Like his only real option was to stop existing.
Later I’ll post a link to an article about this story. It ran in one of two local weeklies, but I have to track it down.
the plaintiffs should go after these culprits and send a message that will reverberate thru-out the entire country. Teach these teachers, these so called adults that they have a responsibly,particularly within the school district, to stop verbal and physical assault.it should never be allowed to take hold. nasty children grow up to be killers.
Ohio won’t do a thing.
I think the family should ask for money. That is the only way they will make a change. If you hurt these people in the pocket book. Kids can sometime be bastards